Amazon Echo is a cylindrical speaker, listening to your voice commands and playing back information like news clips, the weather, or even Spotify playlists. You can even order stuff direct from Amazon with your voice--OK, maybe that's not such a surprise.

Unfortunately, you can't just order Echo straight-up today. Amazon is currently accepting requests for invites to purchase Echo, but the price is actually pretty affordable. $200 USD (161 EUR/233 AUD) gets you an Echo if you're selected, or only $100 (81 EUR/117 AUD) if you're an Amazon Prime member.

The Echo includes an array of seven speakers so it can pick up your voice commands across the room--just say "Alexa" before you give a command. And underneath the device are two, downward facing speakers which Amazon claims provide full-room sound.

Even more interesting, is Amazon's claim Echo is constantly "learning," as it's connected to the cloud. Because that doesn't sound terrifying, at all.

Matt Clark is a freelance writer covering the world of videogames, tech, and popular culture. Follow him on Twitter @ClarkMatt and MyIGN at Matt_Clark.